“Until now, there has not been a textbook for civil, construction, and environmental engineering capstone design courses that is as complete as Practical Concepts for Capstone Design Engineering. This book offers great value for professors and students.”—Sharon C. Long, Professor, University of Wisconsin

“Finding an acceptable design engineering textbook is an incredible challenge; Practical Concepts for Capstone Design Engineering is the text you have been looking for—it will provide students with the applied design knowledge required in today's civil and construction fields.”—Dr. Steven J. Duranceau, PE, Assoc Professor of Environmental Engineering; Dir. of Environmental Systems Engineering Institute, University of Central Florida

About the Item

Practical Concepts for Capstone Design Engineering is the first and only comprehensive senior-level college textbook that provides the essential information needed to complete a successful capstone project in civil, construction, or environmental engineering. The concept for the book is based on replication of the steps commonly used by practicing engineers to complete design projects, from site selection, investigation, and site planning, through the preliminary design calculations and drawing preparation. Students will gain valuable insight and preparation for civil and construction engineering professional practice, and will learn how to smoothly transition from strictly academic work to solving real-world problems in the context of their capstone projects. The authors provide professional quality work examples, case studies, helpful hints, and assignments at the end of each chapter that further enhance comprehension. In addition to providing students with the key skills necessary to successfully enter the profession, they will also be well prepared for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam upon graduation.

Key Features

Replicates the steps commonly used by practicing engineers to complete design projects, from site selection, investigation, and site planning, through the preliminary design calculations and drawing preparation

Offers valuable insight and preparation for civil and construction engineering professional practice

Transitions students from strictly academic work to solving real-world problems in the context of their capstone projects

Offers an approach for integrating students, faculty, design professionals, clients, consultants and regulators—bridging the gap between the classroom and the profession

Students will be well prepared for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam upon graduation

WAV™ offers a variety of professor materials including a capstone syllabus, final exam, and instructional slides reviewing concepts presented in the text —available from the Web Added Value™ Download Resource Center at www.jrosspub.com

About the Author(s)

Frederick Bloetscher, Ph.D., P.E., LEED-AP, is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, focusing on management of water resources from a holistic perspective. Specific areas of concentration include: surface water, groundwater, stormwater, wastewater and reclaimed sources, and appropriate methods for disposal of wastewater products, including concentrate from membrane treatment plants, the fate of ocean outfall flows, and the concept of sustainable water supplies for communities. Dr. Bloetscher teaches the two-semester capstone design course at FAU, and leads the second semester in which the conceptual design of green building construction is turned into preliminary plans, specifications and basis-of-design reports. In 2012, Dr. Bloetscher, serving as the LEED administrator for the project, along with fellow author and capstone design course professor Dr. Daniel Meeroff, received the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education. They were presented with this award in recognition for their work on the Dania Beach Nanofiltration Facility, the first LEED-Gold water treatment facility in the world. Prior to teaching at FAU, Dr. Bloetscher was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL. Throughout his years as a professor, Dr. Bloetscher has been nominated a number of times by his students for Teacher of the Year Award, and has received two University-wide leadership awards.

In addition to his role as an educator, Frederick Bloetscher, a LEED-AP with professional engineering licenses in 9 states, is the President of Public Utility Management and Planning Services, Inc. (PUMPS), a consulting firm dedicated to the comprehensive evaluation of utility systems. Previously he served as Chair for the Water Resource Division Trustees, Groundwater Resource Committee and Education Committee for the American Water Works Association (AWWA), wrote for them several manuals on water and wastewater, and was awarded two national leadership awards from the AWWA. In addition to his work with the AWWA, Mr. Bloetscher also served as the utility director and deputy director for several large water and sewer systems.

Dr. Bloetscher received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati, his Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Miami.

Daniel E. Meeroff, Ph.D., is associate chair and professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatics Engineering at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Dr. Meeroff specializes in environmental engineering, with a focus on water and wastewater engineering, water chemistry, solid/hazardous waste management, sustainable building strategies, and pollution prevention. Since joining the staff at FAU, Dr. Meeroff has won numerous awards recognizing his teaching abilities, and was also instrumental in developing their innovative and well recognized capstone design program.

Dr. Meeroff co-teaches the capstone design course at FAU, a two-semester, senior-level sequence focused on the planning and conceptual design of green building construction. He also founded and serves as director of the Laboratories for Engineered Environmental Solutions at FAU. In 2014, the Engineer’s Council awarded Dr. Meeroff the Engineering Educator of the Year, and the student body at FAU selected him as the Distinguished Teacher of the Year, the highest teaching honor at the university. In 2011, Dr. Meeroff was selected by the students for the Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching Award at FAU, and has been nominated for the Teacher of the Year award numerous times by his students. Daniel Meeroff has also written several substantial laboratory manuals for engineering students on environmental engineering and science, as well as chemistry.

Dr. Meeroff earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Florida Institute of Technology and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in civil/environmental engineering from the University of Miami.